Fly-half who kicked England to World Cup victory in 2003 to bow out after
Heineken Cup final with Saracens on Saturday or the Top 14 game with Castres
on May 31

Jonny Wilkinson, England’s 2003 World Cup-winning fly-half, has confirmed that he intends to retire from rugby at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old, who will turn 35 the day after Toulon face Saracens in the Heineken Cup final at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, made his long-awaited announcement on the Top 14 club’s website on Monday.

"I would like to take this opportunity to formally announce my retirement from playing rugby," said Wilkinson, who won 91 caps for England and six caps for the British and Irish Lions.

"It goes without saying that I have an enormous number of people to thank for their support from all around the world but especially here in France and in England.

"This however is not at all the time to be concentrating on this as I would like to focus all my attention and energy on the team and these final two games of the season.

"I sincerely thank you all for everything you have given me and for making these last 17 years something I will never forget."

He made his debut for Newcastle in 1997 and stayed with them until 2009, winning the Tetleys Bitter Cup twice in that time before joining Toulon, with whom he won the Heineken Cup last season.

Wilkinson retires as one of just five men to score 1000 points in international rugby, with his 1246 second only to New Zealand great Dan Carter.

His metronomic boot kicked England to the final of the 2003 World Cup and then, against hosts Australia, he landed the most valuable three points of his life with a minute of extra-time left, earning his country a 20-17 victory. He ended the tournament with 113 points.

Injuries, often caused by his no-holds-barred approach to tackling, would set in after that and he was never able to be as dominant a force as he once was in the national shirt, but he still played a key role in taking England to the 2007 World Cup final, while he won the Six Nations in 2011.

He retired from international rugby with 91 caps in December 2011, by which point he was already making a new career for himself in France.

Well-known as a perfectionist, Wilkinson took his distinctive kicking style to Toulon in 2009 and immediately became the fulcrum of their side. He won the Heineken Cup with them last season and this weekend can bow out with back-to-back victories in the competition.